The invention has particular application to preventing the increasing incidences of theft of vehicles by facilitating the ease of use and thus promoting the use of anti-theft devices attachable to a vehicle steering wheel to limit rotation thereof, and the invention will be described with particular reference thereto; however, the invention has broader applications which will become apparent upon the reading of the specification.
Over the last several years, there has been a growing demand by vehicle owners to better secure their vehicles against theft when the vehicle is left unattended. Due to the increased crime rate, vehicle insurance premiums have increased with respect to vehicles not protected by an anti-theft device. In an effort to address these security problems, various industries have developed which manufacture and promote various mechanisms to deter the theft of a vehicle. Presently, there are a large number of anti-theft devices for motor vehicles on the market. In addition, many motor vehicles are provided from the factory with integrated security or theft prevention systems. Common vehicle security mechanisms include electronic devices such as alarms or so called "killer" switches which disable the engine and/or ignition of the vehicle unless bypassed by the authorized operator. Most of these security mechanisms which incorporate the use of alarms or "killer" switches employ complicated and sophisticated circuitry which requires professional installation and/or maintenance. In addition to the high cost of installing and maintaining these types of electronic security devices, the complexity of these systems prevents a typical motorist from deactivating the system in case of a malfunction of the security device.
Mechanical security devices have also been developed such as steering wheel locks, which inhibit unauthorized operation of the vehicle by constraining the relative movement of various components within the vehicle such as a steering wheel, gas pedal, clutch or brake. Many of these devices include extendable and retractable hooks adapted to engage the steering wheel rim or the steering wheel rim and another component within the vehicle. When mounted, the hooks are locked against relative displacement and must be unlocked in order to remove the device from the steering wheel. These mechanical steering wheel locks are extremely effective when used but, often, are not used by a vehicle owner because of the inconvenience of locking and/or unlocking the devices in connection with attaching and/or removing the device from the steering wheel. In this respect, these mechanical locks require the use of a key to unlock the device for removal, and many require use of the key to achieve attachment of the device to the steering wheel. In either event, the vehicle owner, upon re-entering the vehicle, must insert a key into the mechanical lock and deactivate the lock before he can remove the device from the steering wheel. Insertion of the key into the lock is at the very least inconvenient especially if the vehicle owner is in a hurry, and such inconvenience often overrides the owner's concern for the security of the vehicle and, consequently, the device is not used. Thus, there is a substantial need for providing devices of the foregoing character with an operating capability which promotes the use thereof by rendering the device more convenient for the vehicle operator to attach and remove from the vehicle steering wheel.